Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-06-16
THE AMERICAN ROBIN.
Some Of the Habits and Everyday Life
OF This CHEEKY Bird-Its Family Cares

Some Of the Habits and Everyday Life
OF This CHEEKY Isird-Its Family Cares
Yesterday saw a couple of boys
honest. weil-meaning little fellows. but
Notwithstanding sharp-cornered.
ugly stones AZ some robins that were
very busily and happily picking up
worms on the parade grounds of the
Boston Common. 1t quite spoiled the
birds breakfast, l am afraid. for they
were cons.a ntly frightened from one
spot to another. SO that they could
take no comfort of it even when they
"11d get good bill-full. 1t happc- ed
that had been looking out for robins
all through this cold spring. and these
were among the first that arrived. 1t
really was rather rough welcome,
wasn't it? Then thought 70 myself.
if thoS. boys knew more about the
habits and everyday life of those red
vested birds. and SO learned to love
,thcm. they would want to throw
crumbs instead OF stones; perhaps
they would even try 10 turn up the
earth here ard there Gf the policemen
didn't catch them). and see how the
birds would gather round. and what
fun they would have picking up their
maains's meal.
The American robin has nothing to
do with the '.Rcdbreast" of old En-
gland. 1 remember standing on the
shores of beautiful Loeb katrine in
l.ol-.l %hs,
dimplin.. hill-shadowed waters. having
my attention attracted to a small bird
about the size OF n sparrow. futtering
in and out OF bush ut my side. In a
minute or two l had a good look ut
him. and then felt a: once rs if l had
known him for years. For had l not
time and again seen pictures Of him
carrying leaves to cover the Babes in
the Wood. or lying pitifully on his back
with IN arrow sticking straight out of
his pretty breast. or peeping in at the
latticed windows of English cottages
with bright eyes exactly like those be-
fore me? Yes. there was no installing
my first real Robin-Redbreast; and a
very different bird he was from the
.stout-hearted. cheerful Woodworking
thrush that We call robin.
So much for the English bird: and
now for our own again. Thrush
i said; for. as many of you know. the
robin is one Of the true thrushes. Our
cOmMonest thrushcs are: Song thrush.
hermit thrush. veery. olive-bscked
thrush. brown thrush. robin. cat-bird:
one for each day of the week. II you
watch them you will see that they all
have the same general look; that they
have the same cleaf. sweet whistle;
that their nests are built in the same
genera way Except that the robin
uses mud rs well rs dried grass). and
that they generally run instead Of hop
ping.
A few robins stay in the Northern
States throughout the winter. but most
of them take pleasure-trips to New
Mexico and Central America They
return soon after the first of March.
and about four weeks later commence
TO build We all know where to look
for their nests-in the crotch or sad
died" on the bough Of an apple tree,
or a low pine in the pasture just be-
You'd the tree. or low pine in the
pasture just beyond the orchard.
Sometimes they choose odd places for
a home have seen one on the Intel
of the front door of house. and an
other in decayed cavity in 3 large
!3xuit tree.